koyama soichiro

The clinical skills of physical therapists (PTs) are crucial, as high-quality clinical competence leads to trustworthy patient care, reliable assessments, and effective therapeutic choice. Clinical practice hours (CP hours) may be used to validate theoretical knowledge acquired during training, especially among novice PTs. This exploratory, single-center, cross-sectional study examined the relationship between total CP hours during undergraduate education and novice PTs’ clinical competence. The small convenience sample comprised 25 newly recruited PTs employed by the Department of Rehabilitation at a general hospital in Japan between April 2022 and April 2023. CP hours were surveyed using Google Forms. Clinical competence was assessed using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, employing two tasks frequently performed in clinical settings: range-of-motion exercises and muscle-strengthening exercises. Total CP hours during undergraduate education were significantly and positively correlated with clinical competence for range-of-motion exercise (ρ = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.3450–0.8677, p < 0.001). A positive trend was observed for muscle strengthening exercise (MSex) (ρ = 0.197; 95% CI, −0.3061–0.6029, p = 0.346), suggesting a ceiling effect for MSex, with relatively low correlation but high acquisition levels, even with fewer total CP hours. Overall, this study revealed a significant correlation between total CP hours during undergraduate education and novice PTs’ clinical competence.

Background/Objectives: Advanced age in Parkinson's disease (PD) is linked to worse motor function, more severe symptoms, and impaired activities of daily living (ADLs). Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT)® BIG may be suitable for older patients, as it can be adapted to individual abilities. This study evaluated whether age affects the effectiveness of LSVT® BIG on gait speed, motor symptoms, ADLs, and quality of life (QoL) in PD. Methods: In this retrospective, single-center cohort study, 22 patients with PD were divided into an older group (≥65 years; n = 16) and a younger group (<65 years; n = 6). All participants completed 16 one-hour, face-to-face LSVT® BIG sessions. Gait speed was assessed with the 10-m walk test; motor symptoms with Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III; ADLs with MDS-UPDRS Part II; and QoL with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 Summary Index. Two-way mixed-design analysis of variance with aligned rank transformation was used for statistical analysis. Results: Significant improvements were observed for all outcomes (gait speed, motor symptoms, ADLs, and QoL) after the intervention. A significant effect of age group was found for gait speed, with younger patients walking faster overall. No significant interaction between timepoint and group was observed for any measure. Conclusions: LSVT® BIG appears to improve gait speed, motor symptoms, ADLs, and QoL in patients with PD, regardless of age, suggesting it is an effective intervention for both older and younger patients.